<p>UFC Featherweight Chan Sung Jung celebrates his UFC on Fuel TV 3 win (MMADiehards.com)</p>
UFC on Fuel TV 3 settled the future of the UFC’s featherweight division with a main event between Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier and the “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung Tuesday night. Taking place at Fairfax, Va.’s Patriot Center, it saw the “Korean Zombie” win a brutal battle that could wake the dead.
Both men delivered enough violence for “28 Days Later.” Jung caught one of Poirier’s kicks early and took him down twice. Jung then cut “The Diamond” with elbows, and ate up kicks going into Poirier’s guard.
Dueling “Zombie” and “USA” chants erupted as both fighters traded blows and Jung drilled Poirier’s head into the ground stuffing a takedown. As if smelling blood, “Zombie” began throwing vicious knees and rolled through another takedown to try some ground and pound.
From there, Jung put Poirier through some serious survival horror. Strikes were relentlessly launched, limbs often torqued and bodies frequently slammed. Poirier tried weathering the assault, but it was too much. “Zombie” caught him in a d’arce choke and drove him into his darkest nightmares.
Earlier on, Tom “Filthy” Lawlor came to party, entering the Octagon with a birthday entourage sporting zany hats. Once the cage door closed, he was all business in a quick brawl with Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald. Dropping MacDonald with hooks to each side of his head, “Filthy” found a place in the winner’s circle with a whirlwind TKO.
“Virginia is for lovers, right?” an elated Lawlor said after the match. “I love you guys. This is definitely one of the best 50 states to fight in.”
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone also came prepared for a shootout with Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens. He struck on all levels, bashing Stephens’ entire body every chance he got. By fight’s end, “Cowboy” had made a map of bruises on Stephens’ face. It was a spectacle that won Cerrone the fight via unanimous decision.
In other action, Fabio Maldonado faced Igor “The Duke” Pokrajac in an all-out brawl. Pokrajac planted Maldonado on the mat, pinning him until a late standup. Once on the feet, the two traded vicious body blows in a relentless exchange. From there, the match devolved into dirty boxing bursting with knees and heaps of hooks. In the end, Pokrajac edged out Maldonado in a split decision.
After that, Yves “Tiger” Jabouin tangled with Jeff “Hellbound” Houghland. “Tiger” pounced early with a spinning low kick that rocketed Houghland across the cage. A second one floored him, and Jabouin followed with frantic hammer fists. It didn’t work, however, and “Tiger” pursued his prey to a unanimous decision win instead.
Amir Sadollah scrapped with Jorge Lopez in the co-main event. Grappling for cage control, Lopez eventually laid him out with a gigantic slam. Sadollah survived, and both men tried grinding each other down from then on. In the night’s most lackluster fight, Sadollah scored the “W” via split decision.
Besides that one bad fight, UFC on Fuel TV 3 was one of 2012’s most entertaining cards thus far. A small card that delivered big fights, it also promises that featherweight champ Jose Aldo has a “Korean Zombie” in his future.
